The Gateway to the West

Last night, I stayed in a hostel that was just a few minutes from the Arch. The hostel itself was an old building that left a lot to be desired. My hostel experiences are always interesting. At this one I was not afraid for my own safety, but for the security of the belongings in my car. I was told to take my bike off the back of my car so it would not attract people looking for an easy target. I was hoping some homeless person would not decide that my food, clothes, and camping equipment were just too good to pass up. So I spent a mostly sleepless night listening to the noises of a big city. Not really my thing. However, before I went to bed and right after I finished my last blog post a nice young lady came into the hostel. She was from Chicago and was just in town for a little while. As we talked we found out that we both wanted to go see the St. Louis Arch in the morning and decided to go together.

In the morning the owner of the hostel, a very nice man, drove us to the Arch. He had offered to do this after explaining that the parking garage there was the worst place in the city for car break-ins. I was really longing for one of those force fields from Star-trek for my car. Wouldn't it be cool? The bad guys would just bounce off when they got too close. Of course, I know I do have a force field surrounding me... just not the star-trek kind. :)
Anyway, my new friend and I arrived at the Arch right when it opened and were one of the first people in line for the tram ride to the top. The little tram cars were so small and they looked like little space pods. (What's with this post and space references?) The ride to the top only took a few minutes,  and was not as scary as some of the informational websites made it seem. There was some clicking and rocking, but nothing unnerving. I guess if you were claustrophobic it may have been an issue.

The weather was perfect for top-of-the-Arch viewing. It was a crisp clear day. You can see the historic courthouse and the new Busch stadium.

Under the Arch there is a museum featuring information on the western expansion including the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. Part of my route actually follows Lewis and Clark's trail. I feel like this stop was very symbolic since this is my own expedition west. Thank God my trip will be in a heated car and not a covered wagon or by foot.

Across the street from the Arch was the court house I mentioned earlier. This was also open to the public as a museum so I wandered around there for a while before heading back to my car and getting on the road again.

I passed through Kansas City, KS where I did not feel very comfortable getting out of my car so I just drove around the historic downtown area and headed north to Nebraska. On the way I drove through vast areas of corn fields and farm houses. It was not super exciting scenery, but pretty nonetheless.

I have stopped for the night in Lincoln, NE and tomorrow I plan on going to a local dairy farm and taking a cheese making class! Cant wait!